A few weekends ago, I jaunted over to the DC metro area for a visit/vacation, and I was able to check these places out.

• The National Museum of Health and Medicine. Seriously, the highlight of the trip, something right up my alley. Specimens galore. My personal fave was the stomach-shaped hairball. And best of all, it costs a whopping $0.
• Mount Vernon. Want to see where a smart presidential George W. hung his hat? Mount Vernon is the place to go. You could spend hours wandering the estate, and the Potomac views aren't too shabby.
• The National Aquarium in Washington DC. This was the biggest letdown of the whole trip. What charges $5 definitely should've been free. Just some tanks in the basement of the commerce building. Go to the National Aquarium in Baltimore instead. Please.
• Old Town Alexandria and Georgetown DC. Cute old neighborhoods with charming-looking shops and adorable townhouses.

Oh yeah, don't get gas in the DC area unless you like shelling out $3+ for fuel. No thanks. The Metro is convenient, and traffic sucks. Washington DC isn't one of my favorite American cities. Maybe it's because it doesn't seem like a typical city; instead of skyscrapers, it has the lone Washington Monument. To me, skyline=Big City.

I must've already mentioned it here, but reading The Other Boleyn Girl (by Philippa Gregory) sparked a big interest in me for Henry VIII's wives and children, and especially Elizabeth I (seriously, historical nonfiction doesn't get better than Alison Weir). That is why I'm so psyched for the movie version of the Gregory book, even if some folks don't like the casting. I'm also dying for the sequel to Elizabeth to come out, even though I didn't care much for the original.